I'm so glad there is so much more to life than education and jobs. In the midst of worrying about getting a job in Turkey and finishing up my Masters program which seems to go on and on, I will always have my dear family near by. I've been enjoying them this week on vacation.
Helen, who barely eats ice cream or cookies when we give them to her, ate three smores tonight. I would never have guessed (cuz they're really not that good). I know I'm American and it's the American camping thing to do at night, but really, the taste is not the best.
Vacationing away from home is a blessing and those who get to do this can really free themselves from a lot of the usual worries and distractions. Jonathan actually likes me on vacation because I'm focused on the family and there is little else to distract me. Normally, I can actually go days without saying three or four full sentences to one of my kids. Isn't that horrible? I'm usually spouting out orders or questions while I'm cooking or picking up stuff, yelling at Atticus to get off his brothers, or just doing my own thing on the computer and ignoring them. Even if I take my kids somewhere fun, that doesn't always mean I'm engaging them in meaningful conversation, so I can't really count that as meaningful quality time. Well, maybe I can, but I should still talk to my kids.
But seriously, Atticus will not keep his hands off his brothers. Look at him! Even as he's riding a wave in, he's aiming for Sherman. Who does that? Really! I'm so tired of yelling at him all day every day that I've stopped. It obviously isn't working. He's too big for time outs, spanks, or any of those usual punishments. Guess what he gets now? Something that sounds like a whine and a moan, "Atticus . . ." that starts out high and ends low and then just dies out and we don't even give him a punishment because we can't think of anything appropriate. I'm not really complaining, I'm just wondering at what age he'll stop being Mr. Pattyfingers and at what age I'll learn to think of a good consequence for him. Maybe things will remain the same until he leaves home and Sherman will just have to endure until then. Meanwhile, Sherman certainly is living up to his name by beginning to closely resemble the small tank he is named after.
Vacationing away from home is a blessing and those who get to do this can really free themselves from a lot of the usual worries and distractions. Jonathan actually likes me on vacation because I'm focused on the family and there is little else to distract me. Normally, I can actually go days without saying three or four full sentences to one of my kids. Isn't that horrible? I'm usually spouting out orders or questions while I'm cooking or picking up stuff, yelling at Atticus to get off his brothers, or just doing my own thing on the computer and ignoring them. Even if I take my kids somewhere fun, that doesn't always mean I'm engaging them in meaningful conversation, so I can't really count that as meaningful quality time. Well, maybe I can, but I should still talk to my kids.
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